Strength
by Silver Ink
Summary: What would happen if you knew you could do better, and took the chance to become all that you can be. Rogue finds out.


Disclaimer-Not mine.  
  
A/N-Remember when I said I had a thing about Rogue running away? I wasn't kidding. Please, just, read. I love it. Hopefully you will too!  
  
The sun was out, the grass was green, the sky was blue, the birds were singing, and she loved it. She almost laughed at that thought. When she had lived in the institute, life had been hell. All those people pitying her. Looking down on her. Telling her it would be okay, one day they would find a cure. A cure. Like she had a disease. And for the longest time, she had believed them. She believed that they were normal, even for the freaks, and she was diseased.  
  
Then she had meet Remy LeBeau. The Cajun Charmer. She knew she should keep to herself. That, if nothing else, the Scott episode proved that she wasn't the one supposed to win. She firmly believed that and kept far away from him. And that was probably her downfall. If she had pretended to be one of his many fans, he probably would have ignored her. As it was, he saw her as a challenge. And treated her like such. But, she was blind. All she saw was a man that wanted her. Not Jean, not Kitty, not Jubes, her. And suddenly she had found hope that one day she would be normal.  
  
All was great for a couple of months. 9, if she remembered correctly. Then she had gone out to the book store one day to pick up the newest book on her 'must read' list, and saw him. He said that he wasn't feelin too good, so he was going to stay home. She had thought she would pick him up something nice. She went to the store that he loved, right across from the food court. After buying him a necklace she knew he'd love, she looked up and saw him with some chick with long blond hair and blue eyes. She'd almost convinced herself that it was nothing. That they were just old friends. Old friends kissed, right? After fighting with herself for what seemed forever, she made a decision.  
  
She was not going to break down.  
  
She was stronger than that.  
  
She had to be. So, she went back into the store, refunded the gift took the money and left.  
  
She had debated where to go. Not to the institute. If she told anyone there what had happened, well, they would just look at her with their damn pity, and tell her that it was only a matter of time. She found herself wandering downtown, when she looked up, she found herself at the train station. She would leave.  
  
She would find her strength.  
  
Prove to those people that she didn't need their pity.  
  
Didn't need his love.  
  
Didn't need them.  
  
So, she went in and asked the toll man where the furthest place you could go on a train was. 'Well, you could get a ticket that takes you from New York to Ontario. Then from Ontario to Vancouver.' Well, that was nice of him. It was also the most expensive ticket he had. Oh well, it served her purpose. So, on the train she went. Didn't say goodbye. Didn't look back. When she got to Vancouver, the first thing she did was buy a newspaper. (Thank god she had brought her wallet with her. And thank god that she hadn't spent that much money since the professor had started giving them weekly allowance about a year ago. 100 dollars a week, 52 weeks in a year that gave her 5,200, in cash, in her wallet. Not the smartest thing in the world to do, but, again, it served her purpose.) After buying a newspaper, she started looking for a place to stay. After a week of staying in a motel, she had found her perfect place. A woman named Sh'ar, pronounced Sh- are, in her early 20's was looking for a room-mate. The two instantly hit it off, and she found a new apartment. Now all she needed was a job. Sh'ar to the rescue. Sh'ar's father happened to own a café downtown and he might be looking for a new waitress. After an interview she had a new job, a new place to stay, and had re-entered high school. After a couple of months, she had gotten up her courage to ask Mr.Kay, Sh'ar's father, if she could put her art work up. He said yes. And people started buying her work! She now had all sorts of money, from her job, her tips, and her art work. Life was finally going her way. About a year after, all in which she managed to stay covered up so there was no skin contact with anyone, she felt a tingling in her head. She instantly recognized it. The Professor.  
  
'Professor.' She thought, as calmly as she could. What if he told the others where she was? What if they came down her and dragged her back! She couldn't, she WOULDN'T!  
  
'Rogue. We are all worried about you.' He stated, just as calmly  
  
'No need. I'm fine.' She said, struggling not to show him her panic.  
  
'Are you?' he asked dubiously.  
  
After a couple of minutes of thought, it hit her. She really was fine. Sometimes, when she was sitting around the living room with her new friends, she would get a pang in her heart and remember the institute. Remember the rare occasions that she had had fun. Remember Kitty, Kurt, Logan and Remy. But then she'd look around her. Look at Sh'ar, laughing at Kevin because he had somehow managed to get his had caught in the VCR machine. She'd look over at Lilly who was cuddled up with Rain having a whispered conversation. She'd look over at Josh and see him smiling back at her, with his unconditional friendship and support. She was home.  
  
'Ya, Ah really am.' She whispered in her mind, projecting her thoughts to him, just so he'd know she wasn't lying.  
  
'If you ever need meh to fight, Ah'll be there as soon as Ah can make it. But, until then, Ah'll live.' And with that, she closed off her mind to him.  
  
She had found her strength. She wasn't the Rogue anymore. She wasn't the loner Goth chick. She was Erin Fay. The high school graduate. The College Art student. Sh'ar's best friend. She didn't have to prove her strength anymore. She could relax and have fun. She could just be.  
  
A/N-Since no-one really knows Rogues real name, I decided to make it Erin Fay, just cuz I love that name soo much. Hope you're not too mad I didn't stay with the normal Marie, or Anne. I have nothing against those names. In fact, in my other fic, Pretty, I say her name is Marie, and Ann is my middle name. So, ya. Hope you liked it! 


End file.
